


Biochemist and the Engineer

by gingerbreadlove



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Beauty and the Beast - All Media Types
Genre: Antoine Triplett & Jemma Simmons, Daisy Johnson as Miss Potts, F/M, Jemma Simmons as Belle, Jemma Simmons is a Badass, Lance Hunter as Lumiere, Leo Fitz & Phil Coulson - Freeform, Leo Fitz as the Beast, Melinda May as Cogsworth, Phil Coulson & Jemma Simmons - Freeform, Phil Coulson & Melinda May - Freeform, Phil Coulson as Maurice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-01-29 06:46:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12625443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingerbreadlove/pseuds/gingerbreadlove
Summary: The Framework! but with a twist off of Beauty and the Beast (sort of, kind of, ish, you'll see)When Jemma enters the Framework on a mission to rescue Fitz, her memories are replaced as well. With Hydra on her tail the moment she enters, one of the organization's leaders, Grant Ward, proposes that she join his branch. Refusing his offer, she is taken prisoner of another monstrous Hydra power--Dr. Fitz--allowing Agent Coulson to escape. However, Coulson knows the truth about this virtual world, and has planted seeds of doubt in Fitz's mind about the reality of the Framework. Jemma Simmons is the only one who can work with Dr. Fitz to find the truth. Will the Framework's monster, Dr. Fitz, learn kindness and gain the trust of Jemma Simmons before it's too late? (I mean, of course he will because I love this ship but still I've gotta make this sound dramatic to intrigue you.)





	1. No Matter What

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a time, a sorceress came to a prince, offering him a rose. Unable to find love in his heart for the woman, he turned her away. Because he showed no love to her, the sorceress cursed the prince, making him into a horrible monster. 
> 
> Not far away from the prince, a beautiful young lady helped her father prepare for a journey. He went on his way, but was hunted down by wolves. Trying to escape the wolves, he became prisoner to the greatest threat of all: The Beast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! This isn't my first fic, but it's the first one I'm posting on here. This is kind of a new realm for me... but anyhow, I hope y'all enjoy this AU!

Coulson laid back onto the table, took a deep breath, and placed the headset on, entering the Framework. Jemma watched intently as the director sunk into the alternate reality, keeping tabs on his vitals and making certain that he would be stable while he tried to rescue the others. Breaking everyone out of the Framework would be easy--if Fitz was here. But he wasn't. He was stuck in the alternate universe, believing it was real.

Jemma vividly remembered watching the beginning of this through her tablet. Aida had begged Fitz to love her, but he had refused, saying that Jemma was the only one in his heart. At that moment, Aida had gone completely berserk, not comprehending that he simply didn't love her. She teleported herself and Fitz away from the SHIELD base, leaving behind a fried electrical system.

When SHIELD’s computers had been rebooted, there was a disturbance in the Framework, signaling that someone had entered--or rather, three people. It was obvious that one of the Framework’s prisoners was Fitz. It quickly became clear that three other agents had been kidnapped--adding Melinda May, Lance Hunter, and Daisy Johnson to the Framework.

Coulson, certain that his involvement in the TAHITI program would prevent false memories from being implanted as he entered the Framework, had immediately set up to go in after Fitz. However, none of them knew what the Framework world was like. Nobody knew what awaited them on the other side. And certainly, nobody expected what they got.

Coulson woke up in the other world, correct about his and Simmons’ assumption related to TAHITI. However, he did not wake up in a bed, but rather, came to his wits in the middle of the woods. Standing up and gathering himself, he immediately began to determine his location in relation to Fitz. That's when he heard shouts from behind, and then a rain of gunfire. Dashing behind a tree, he found a gun of his own on his person, and whipped it out. He assumed the voices and gunfire were an enemy--why else would they be shooting at him--but didn't want to risk killing a friendly, so he kept his bullets to himself.

Cautiously peering out from behind the tree, he caught a glimpse of the team that was on his tail. The Hydra logo was sprinkled across every jacket, and a face he didn't miss was among them, giving orders. Coulson fired his gun, aiming for Ward's chest, but the traitorous agent was too fast and the bullet only grazed his arm.

“Come on Coulson, can't even shoot a gun anymore?” Ward teased, moving toward Coulson’s space. Coulson took an opportunity to move to a further tree. “I expected more from you.”

Coulson scoffed, firing a few more bullets into the Hydra agents before hiding himself back behind a tree.

Ward and his team moved silently.

“You can't hide forever, Coulson.” Ward taunted in a light voice, though he was obviously aggravated by the two men he'd just lost. His voice was closer than Coulson was comfortable with.

The SHIELD agent spun out from his hiding place, planning to put a bullet into Ward’s head, but instead, he was swept into full-on combat with 7 armed Hydra agents. Coulson was a skilled fighter, but not skilled enough to hold all of them off for long. Not on his own. He put up a good fight, but a final blow left him crumpled on the ground. No gun went off however, and he was unexpectedly handcuffed and dragged off. Wherever they were taking him, at least he was alive.

They must've given him some sort of sedative, because next thing he knew, he was being jolted awake by a painful surge of electricity.

His head was foggy and it took a minute for his vision to adjust and the world come into focus. He was tightly bound to a chair, and everything felt heavy.

It took immense effort to raise his head to his captor, but when he saw who it was, he sucked in a pained breath.

“Fitz.” Coulson spoke weakly, sounding relieved.

Another jolt made him realize that he shouldn't be relieved. This was not his Fitz.

“It's Doctor Fitz.” The Scottish voice spat at him through gritted teeth. “You'll learn soon enough.”

Coulson brought his head back up defiantly to face Fitz. Clenching his jaw, he lifted the corners of his mouth into a slight smile, his eyes glowing as always. Fitz would not break him.

“Now,” Fitz said, turning around to go through a neatly arranged assortment of needles and small--but threatening--tools. “You're going to tell me exactly what I ask for.” His voice was very calculated and dark. This was not the man he knew. This was a monster created by the Framework. And Coulson was his prisoner.


	2. Gaston

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Belle’s father didn’t return, she knew something terrible had happened to him. Gaston came to Belle, trying to sway her into joining him for a life together, but she refused, and instead took off after her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to fix all of the character and relationship listings, and I apologize for anyone who was misled by what I had. Hopefully they're all right now. Again, really sorry about that, I'm still learning, but I'll try not to make more mistakes. Here's another chapter :)

Jemma stood up from her chair, too nervous to be seated. Coulson’s blood pressure and heart rate had been spiking for the past few hours, along with the levels of endorphins in his blood. 

Coulson was obviously in pain--a lot of pain. He was in trouble and she knew it. What she didn't know is if she should risk going in after him. She had wanted to be the one going in to rescue Fitz, but Coulson was the more logical choice. He was combat trained, and would remember his mission. 

Jemma Simmons always looked at things logically. Identify the problem, find a solution. She was a scientist, and always had been. But today, she couldn't think. She couldn't categorize everything out into logical and illogical. Her mind was on one thing: bringing Fitz home. 

This single lapse in her logical processing caused her to make the most illogical decision she’d ever made. At that moment, in Jemma’s mind, it seemed logical. But in truth, there was nothing logical about entering the Framework. She let the other agents know what she was about to do, and they tried to reason with her, but her mind was made up. She knew that somehow, someway, this was going to get Fitz home safely. 

She would lose her memories. Once she entered, she wouldn’t even know that the Framework wasn’t real. 

This was crazy. This didn’t make any logical sense. Her mind rebelled, listing off all the reasons that this was the worst possible solution. But her heart told her that this was right. This was how she would get to Fitz. 

That is what gave her the courage to place the Framework headset on herself. That is what directed her to lay back, and close her eyes. Everything--logical and illogical--faded away. All was black and empty.

\---

Agent Simmons stepped out of her black SUV, and her team of agents followed her lead. She moved around the vehicle to greet the other party, signalling for her team to stand back, but be ready. This was a tedious meeting. 

A well-built man rounded his SUV, which also happened to be black. He smiled, but it was an evil mask of a smile. Everything he did was an act. She was familiar with his ways.

“Jemma Simmons.” He marveled, talking like they were the best of pals.

“Grant Ward.” She greeted him matter-of-factly. This was business and she would have none of his sly speaking today. “I have an offer to make.”

She saw something flicker across the Hydra agent’s face. It was only there for a split second, but she’d seen it. She was far too experienced to mistake that flicker of fear for anything else. 

The fear that she knew something that he didn’t. The fear that she had a weight to use against him. But the fear was only momentary, for Ward always had an angle to play at.

“How coincidental.” He grinned, placing his hand on her shoulder. Simmons tensed, fighting the reflex to grab her gun. “I have a proposal for you as well.”

She kept her face stone-cold, not giving him a single inch of what he wanted no matter how much he buttered his words. “By all means,” she replied in a fake friendly tone, “you go first.”

His smug grin flashed with annoyance. “Of course.” His words were a bit sharper this time. Not sugar-coated. 

Simmons had had enough sugar-coating throughout her life--especially from Ward. She preferred to hear things straight. By now, Ward had removed his hand from her shoulder, but he stood closer than was comfortable. She didn’t relax a bit, but stood tall and motionless. “I propose,” His grin was inches away from her icy face, “That you rejoin Hydra. Come back to the winning side. Come back to me.” His eyebrow arched in question. “Let it go back to old times? The two of us. You know that’s all you’ve wanted since you left.” 

Simmons sucked in a breath, resisting the urge to give Ward a hard blow to the face. She kept her face steady as her mind raced with responses to his inconceivable suggestion. She knew he couldn’t possibly actually believe that’s what she wanted.

After what he’d tried to pull with her? No way.

He may be a terrible person, but he wasn’t stupid. He was just trying to get inside her head. And it was working. She muted the thoughts of her days with him. Her days killing innocent people. Her days as a Hydra agent who lived by the one rule: that “discovery requires experimentation”, no matter what the cost was. 

The cost had been countless lives. It wasn’t until after Simmons had been required to dispose of lives that meant something to her that she had come to her wits about what Hydra was really doing. Ward had tried to talk her out of it, to reason with her about the unreasonable. That was when she became aware of how desensitized this man was. How could she ever have thought this man loved her when he didn’t even have a heart? That was when things got bad. 

He had tried to force her to believe his truth. Force her to believe she couldn’t leave him. 

He made her feel weak, incapable, small. He tried to trap her. He had said he was trying to protect her, that he knew she was just struggling with grief and she would come back to reality soon enough. But that was a lie. Because she hadn’t truly known reality until that day. 

Her eyes narrowed at the man standing before her. 

“I’m willing to make a trade.” She stared unblinkingly into Ward’s eyes, standing tall and bold. 

His lip turned up at the corner, and his eyebrow cocked up. 

“If I come with you, Director Coulson gets released.” She stated the deal simply. 

Ward’s smile faded into a head shake. “Jemma, I’m afraid I just can’t do that.” She grabbed for his gun before he had pulled it all the way out. He swung at her with his opposite hand, but she dodged easily, and instead caught the arm, using it to knock him off balance. She moved expertly, but so did he. 

Fists swung at each other, blocks were issued. They knew each other’s fighting styles all too well, but Ward didn’t know how much Simmons had improved since she had left Hydra. He got the handle of her gun smashed into his forehead, and before he could free a hand to block her, a second blow sent him to his knees, allowing Simmons just enough time to slip away from him. 

“Let’s go!” Simmons’s voice rang out clearly to her team. A gunshot punctured Ward’s right shoulder as he raised his own gun. By the time he grasped the gun with his other hand, Simmons had gathered her team into her SUV and was peeling away from the scene. 

She smirked, wiping a bloody cut on her lip as she sped away. 

She had gotten all she needed. Ward didn’t know that she hadn’t actually needed to make a deal. She had just needed time. 

Enough time for her agents to hack into his feed and find out the location of Director Coulson. And she had succeeded. 

Who was the winning team now, Ward?


	3. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girl found her father trapped in an enchanted fortress, being kept prisoner by a Beast. She took her father’s place in the cell, allowing him to escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Jemma Simmons is kind of a bada** team leader this chapter because I love her  
> Within the next week, I'll probably start posting chapters/works for an Academy Fitzsimmons series, so, stay tuned! Also at some point I have an end-of-season-4 plot twist AU to post, but that's still kind of in the works at the moment and it's 112% angst, so for now I'm going to focus on Academy days because who *doesn't* want Academy Fitzsimmons?

Simmons and her team arrived at the location just as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. It was a fairly large facility, but didn’t appear to be very populated. It didn’t even have the Hydra logo all over it, just a single sign at the gates. She pulled to a stop out of sight, and parked the car. Climbing out, she began to issue orders. 

“We’ll split up into duos. Kesley and Lihn, you’re together. Spencer and O'hara, you’re a pair. Agent Tripp, you stick with me.” Shoving another round into her handgun, she continued. “All we need to do is locate Coulson and get him out. From the building plans,” she pulled up a virtual model on her tablet., “it appears that they would be keeping him in the lower left wing.” She pointed at each part of the building as she listed it off. Then, pulling up the infrared program, she got a view of the actual body count in the facility. Her brain calculated the best routes to that area, taking into account the guards that laced the hallways. “Kesley, you and Lihn veer right as we enter. You’ll need to take down three agents en route, but you’ve got a good shot of making it first.” Simmons turned to the other agents. “O’hara, take yourself and Spencer down the long hallway here,” She pointed to an area. “And then loop around to these stairs. It’s a fairly clear route, but be aware; you’ll be vulnerable.” The blonde agent nodded her head at the instructions, and Simmons turned to her own partner. “We’ll veer to the right upon entrance. There are a lot of guards to take down, but we should be able to handle it. After we clear through there, we’ll take the lift down to the basement. I’ll rig a device to break the security on this door here, and then we should make it to Coulson--if the other teams don’t make it first.” Everyone seemed to agree with her strategy, so they headed quickly and lightly toward the cement building. Agent Lihn disabled the security feeds on the outdoor cameras, and they continued on. 

Comms got turned on as they passed through the doors, into the bright, fake light of the Hydra facility. Lihn continued to shut down the security with her impeccable hacking skills. The six agents took out the few Hydra guards that were at the entrance, then split up to go their separate ways. 

Tripp and Simmons made it to the lift, but not without discharging several bullets, and getting a little banged up. The metal doors closed, leaving the two agents panting, blood running down Simmons’s cheek, and staining Triplett’s dark grey SHIELD shirt. 

They rolled their eyes at each other, trying not to laugh as O’hara scolded Agent Spencer for goofing around on the comms. Spencer never failed to amuse everyone with his child-like mannerisms, and he was surprisingly one of their best agents. That's why he was on Simmons’s team. 

The lift jolted to a stop at the basement, and the doors opened to reveal a large number of Hydra agents. Simmons clenched her teeth in surprise and narrowed her eyes. These numbers hadn’t been in the infrared scan--at least not all in one place. They fought and fought, not allowing themselves to be outmatched by the enemy forces, but they were outnumbered heavily. Simmons and Tripp were a non-stop blur of motion, taking down agents left and right. Simmons got caught in the jaw by someone’s fist whilst fighting another agent. She stumbled sideways, but recovered quickly enough to grab the agent’s arm and bring him to the ground. With one win for SHIELD, four more Hydra agents were on her. 

Luckily Tripp had her back, and together they were able to break through the four agents. More agents were still left to take down. Tripp turned to Simmons amidst the fighting. 

“Jemma, you go break the security on the door. I’ll hold them back.” They caught eyes for a moment before he was drawn back into the chaos, and Simmons moved for the door with a bad, sinking feeling that this was the last time she would see Tripp. 

Pulling out supplies, she quickly assembled a device to break the door’s security. She was slower at this than she wanted to be, given than Lihn would've had it open 26 precious seconds ago, but Simmons’s PhDs were in chemistry and biology, not engineering or computer science. 

The door unlocked just as the other teams announced their arrival at the area over the comms. 

Simmons knew what she had to do at that moment. 

There were still so many Hydra guards. They would follow her team in a flash if nobody was there to hold them off. They couldn't have any slowdowns. 

“Tripp!” she called, popping the door open. He gave a last swing at an agent, and bolted for the escape, blood running from his nose and bruises already forming. She shoved the car keys into his palm as he ran through the doorway. He paused, turning to her, his face stricken with distress as he realized what she was doing. 

“Jemma wh--” his voice was laced with brokenness. 

“Go! I have to hold them back! Don't wait for me!” and she shut the door behind him, tears welling in her eyes as his devastated face was seared into her mind. He’d been her friend and most trusted colleague since she’d joined SHIELD, and she was leaving him. But she was doing so to protect all of them. 

Coulson had to make it out. 

She didn't. 

Coulson represented the embodiment of SHIELD’s ideals. He was the one who needed to be safe and alive. 

Immediately following the close of the door, Simmons turned to the room-full of Hydra agents. 

Hold them off as long as possible. 

She tore her comm out of her ear and crushed it underfoot as she went back into battle. She didn't need the other five agents yelling in her ear about her decision. 

Several blows landed across her body. She returned the favor to each of the guards, sprinkling bullets whenever she could. Her fate was inevitable, but she would do whatever she could to make her last few minutes count. 

Her cheek stung from being hit. As did her entire body. 

Shots rang out through the room. The scent of blood and sweat clouded around them, forcing Simmons to taste the fight as she drew sharp, fast breaths. Raising her gun to take down a guard, she was attacked by two agents from behind, and pinned to the wall. Her mouth filled with coppery blood as her face slammed into the cement. They peeled away her weapons, despite her noncooperation. 

The room grew silent.

Simmons gasped for breath as her sore cheekbone dug into the stone. The sharp clap of footsteps echoed through the room. 

“Well, well.” A heavily accented voice mused. Simmons struggled against the guard holding her down, wanting a look at the man speaking. “We lose one SHIELD agent, we gain another. Perhaps you will be less difficult than the last one.” His voice was close now.

“Never.” She spat through bloody teeth. “You monsters will never win.”

There was a pause as the Scott stepped closer. “We'll see about that.” His breath was hot and wet in her ear as he hissed the words. 

She would not let him win.

She couldn't.


	4. Home (Reprise)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Beast tried convincing Belle to come to dinner, but she refused, knowing he had done terrible things. This infuriated the Beast, and he vowed that she would not eat without him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor meets my version of Framework!Simmons...  
> In just a few weeks I'll have a month off of classes, so I'll have more time to actually write, and hopefully other stories from me will pop up on here!

Agent Simmons was led roughly to a prison-like room.

 

Matching everything else in this building, the walls and floor were grey cement, and a single bright light shone from the ceiling. 

 

Her entire body ached from all the night’s combat. Ice would've been welcome in several areas, but alas, no ice. 

 

Her head ringing from the combination of punches and echoing gunshots, she thought about her situation. She was a prisoner. Likely, they would torture her. She’d recognized the Scottish man who had been in the other room. He was a renowned Hydra scientist-turned-torture-expert. His name was Leopold Fitz, and she had once been told to admire his work. Now, it repulsed her. 

 

He would want information from her, she was certain of it, but she had her mind set. She would treat him just like Ward--because that's exactly what he was. All Hydra leaders were the same. She wouldn't give him an inch.

 

Simmons had only been alone for a few minutes before the door opened. 

 

“I hope you've decided to cooperate, otherwise this is not going to be fun for you.” 

 

Simmons hardly looked up from her spot on the floor as Doctor Fitz entered the room. Purposefully, she pressed her lips together, obviously not ready to share any information with him.

 

The Hydra scientist sat down in his chair, waiting for Simmons to acknowledge him at all. He sighed deeply. 

 

“Guess we’re doing this the hard way then.” His voice already sounded annoyed, but Simmons didn't care what he thought. He would torture her no matter what, because she wasn't giving anything away.

 

The Doctor made a motion with his hand, and the next moment, two Hydra agents came through the door. “Meet Agent May and Agent Hunter.” He introduced them. “They're not going to be your friends.”

 

Each agent took one of Simmons’ arms and yanked her into a chair, strapping her in securely. The leather bands dug into her wrists, and the rough handling felt anything but good. 

 

“You might want to cooperate, lass.” The male agent breathed into her ear.

 

Simmons gritted her teeth, hardening her gaze as she finally looked Doctor Fitz in the eyes. His crystal blue irises were like ice, but curiosity flickered behind his glare. She doubted that he was truly as evil as he acted. Certainly he felt regret for his actions. He looked away. 

 

“I require your expertise.” He began studiously, standing up and moving to his tool inventory cart. His hands hovered over the small, sterile-looking assortment of knives, needles, and other gadgets that made Simmons’s stomach drop. “And you  _ will _ help me.” He turned toward her, blue gloves covering his hands. Several multi-color wires swung from the high-tech appliance he held. It was a fabric-like strip with a metallic sheen, and sensors hung onto the ends of the wires where they would connect to skin. 

 

“Since I will need you stable and placid, you have been saved from some of my worse methods.” Doctor Fitz moved in her direction, and she squirmed uncomfortably at the thought of what he might do to her. “But this,” He tightly attached the cool, and surprisingly sticky gadget to Simmons’s forehead. “This will cause your worst memory to endlessly repeat itself in your mind.” All of the gel sensors had been pressed onto her bruised face, and she startled as the machine let out a chime, indicating that it was synced. 

 

The Doctor picked up a remote for the device, waving it around and making Simmons tense with every motion that might lead to him pushing the “on” button. 

 

“ _ Unless _ you decide now that you are willing to help me.” Simmons only glared. He circled her chair, moving out of her view. “You see, your good friend Phil Coulson put some ideas in my head that I just can't seem to shake.” He roamed back into view, his face perplexed. Simmons’s eyes followed him warily. “And you’re the only one with the expertise to help me.”

 

He was just trying to get inside her head. That's how these people worked. They got you to let down your guard just a tad, and that's when they took advantage. They would pounce on you the second you showed weakness, and the next moment, you'd be spilling all the secrets you knew. 

 

“Well,” The Doctor growled, voice full of barely contained rage. Simmons tried to stop herself from trembling as he began to furiously tap buttons on the remote. “I will be back in an hour to see if you are ready to work with me.” 

 

The machine on Simmons’s forehead let out a low beep.

 

_ She kicked down the door to her childhood home. _

 

“I,” She spat, voice hushed and quivering, “will never...work with you.”

 

He gave her one last glare before stalking out the door. 

 

The slam of the door echoed through the room.

 

_ Her parents raced into the parlor, panicked. _

 

Simmons’s entire body trembled at the memory forcibly playing through her mind. She inhaled shakily.

 

_ Terror flooded the faces she loved. _

 

Tears rolled down Agent Simmons’s face. Her teeth were clamped together, holding back the sobs that ached to leave her throat.

 

_ Two gunshots went off. _

 

She jumped, flinching at the memory, and her tear-stricken face bowed into her lap.

 

_ Mum and dad collapsed limply onto the floor. The gun fell from Simmons’s hands, clattering to the ground. _

 

A silent, choking sob tore through her.

 

_ She kicked down the door to her childhood home. _

 

\---

 

Doctor Fitz ran his hands through his hair, letting out a long exhale as the door slammed behind him. 

 

“You’re going about this wrong.” Agent May’s low, level voice declared out of the silence.

 

The Doctor whipped around, slamming his fists onto the table. “I didn’t ask you.” He bellowed, face flushed with impatience. He  _ needed _ Simmons’s help. 

 

Hunter stood up beside May. “Hate to admit it, but she’s right. This case is different.” He kept his chin high, but his tone was respectful of his leader. Doctor Fitz’s eyes locked on him, not pleased, but listening nonetheless. “You need her help--for that, you need her trust. She’s not going to cooperate if you treat her like this.” Agent Hunter raised his eyebrows, shrugging. “But it’s your call, mate. You’re the doctor.”

 

Doctor Fitz bared his clenched teeth. “Yes.” He snarled. “I am the doctor. I know what I’m doing.”

 


	5. Be Our Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the help of the palace servants, the girl had dinner without the threatening Beast. When the Beast found out about this, he was outraged, and the girl fled the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy AoS Day!!! Season 5 is finally here...meaning December is here and Christmas fics are all I can write. This said, expect Academy!Fitzsimmons Christmas fic in the next few weeks!
> 
> Also, warning: there is like one bad word in here, but it's nothing worse than what Fitz says on the show, so...just wanted to have a warning.

Doctor Fitz swept past Agent Johnson as he moved through the hall, away from Simmons. 

“She’s not cooperating?” The young woman asked to Agents May and Hunter as she rounded the corner.

“Of course she’s not,” Hunter responded. “The Doctor’s going about it all wrong.”

Agent Johnson glanced down at the screens where the video feed from the room appeared. The strong-willed and resilient opponent that had left her ribs heavily bruised just a few hours ago was bowed over, head in her lap as she was racked with sobs.

“We have to get her out of there.”

The other two agents looked at Johnson as if she was insane.

“Have you gone mad?” Hunter asked, looking between Johnson and the screen.

The young agent didn’t flinch. “We have to find out if that man--Coulson--was telling the truth.” She pressed. “And this,” she waved a hand at the screen, “is obviously not getting her to help us.”

The room was silent for a long moment as all of them processed the situation. 

“We show her some trust and then she’ll trust us?” Hunter shook his head. “How do you know she won’t take advantage?”

“How does she know that this isn’t all part of some master plan to wring info out of her?” Agent Johnson pointed out. “She’s a highly trained agent--she’s never going to spill secrets--but she’s also a scientist…”

“We get her curious, and she’ll have an obligation to help us.” Agent May spoke up. “You know we can’t do this.” Going against the will of the Doctor never ended well.

“But we have to.” Johnson insisted.

The room stayed silent. She sighed heavily.

“If Coulson was telling the truth, we need to do something about it--fast.” 

“You really believe the nonsense he was spewing?” Hunter looked skeptical, but there was also a respectful curiosity behind his eyes.

“There’s only one way to find out.” May put her hand on the doorknob. She turned to the others. “But if we get caught, this was never my idea.”

\---

The door whipped open, and Simmons jerked her head up. Angry tears streamed down her face. She eyed the agent distrustfully. Agent May picked up the remote, and pressed a series of buttons that powered down the device.

Simmons relaxed slightly, finally able to breathe. Still, she glared at the woman through red, puffy eyes, and said nothing. Her lungs ached from crying and her face felt hot. 

The agent uncuffed her, but kept a cautious stance. Simmons immediately grabbed her bruised wrists and began massaging them tenderly, still not taking her eyes off of May.

“Get up.” The female agent directed. 

Simmons stared at her warily and didn’t move. 

Agent May rolled her eyes, planting her hands on her hips authoritatively. “We don’t have all day, okay. I’m trying to help you.”

The SHIELD agent took a deep, thoughtful breath before rising stiffly. Standing up, she nearly toppled over, but caught herself. The last thing she wanted to do was appear weak. 

“Where are you taking me?” Simmons rasped, her throat tight and irritated from crying.

There was no answer, so she shut her mouth and focused on keeping balance while she limped along, favoring her left leg. There were several injuries on her that probably would do best with medical attention, or at least a cleanup, but that didn’t seem like it would happen any time soon.

The walk through the bright, concrete hall was short, and Simmons was pulled into a side room. Two other agents were already inside--one of whom she recognized from before. Simmons squinted at all the computer screens that flooded the room with their brightly colored glows. The unidentified agent turned to greet her, face bathed in yellow light.

“Agent Johnson.” She introduced herself, then continued. “Dr. Simmons, we want to help you.”

Simmons was still glaring, unsure what to make of all this. At Agent Johnson’s comment, she scoffed. Hydra’s agents wanted to help her--yeah right. This was just another one of their schemes to make her work with them. Well, it wouldn't work on her. 

“Here.” Agent Johnson sighed, turning a bright computer screen to face Simmons. “Just watch this, then we’ll talk.” 

Coulson sat in the middle of the screen. He had the all-familiar, knowing smile on his face as he woke up strapped to the chair. The Doctor walked into the room, and began threatening Coulson. Coulson just smiled. 

“You will tell me what I need to know.” The words came strongly from Doctor Fitz’s mouth as he waved a needle in Coulson’s face.

“Okay.” Coulson replied easily.

Simmons sucked in a breath, staring intently at the screen.

“What you need to know,” Coulson stopped for a breath. “Is that this world is not real.” Simmons felt her brows furrow in confusion. What angle was he playing?

“Stop your games!” the Doctor yelled. He struck the director of SHIELD across the face. Spit sprayed through the air. 

“This is no game.” Coulson spoke with his voice steady as he looked back at the Doctor. “We are stuck in an alternate reality--the Framework--Fitz none of this is real.” Coulson’s voice grew desperate, trying to reach the Doctor.

“It's Doctor!!” He yelled in response. Blood flew from Coulson's mouth this time. He righted himself, teeth coated in a scarlet sheen as he continued.

“Fitz--Doctor--whatever! You need to listen! We need to get you out of here! You and May and Daisy and Hunter, you all belong to a different world--the real world!” He was spitting out words so fast, Simmons could hardly wrap her head around it--and she had two PhDs. Coulson took a much needed breath, then continued his urgent message. 

Simmons noticed him dig something out of his sleeve, though his hands were still tied. 

“You have to believe me, I have all the info you need right--”

“STOP!” The pristine torture cart crashed to the ground. Doctor Fitz thrust himself forward so that he was inches from Coulson’s face. Face brightly flushed with anger, his wild eyes searched for any trace that Coulson had been lying. 

This didn’t sound like the director Simmons knew. Had he gone mad? Did he truly believe what he was saying.

The Doctor spat words through gritted teeth. “Stop. Lying.”

Simmons narrowed her eyes, studying the man. He put on a front of anger and disbelief, but she was certain he was doing so because Coulson’s words were getting to him. He didn’t like that his own interrogation was affecting him. 

The Director seemed fairly composed, taking into account all that he’d been put through. “Just...take a look at this drive and you’ll see.” Coulson’s gaze was piercing as he stared right into the other man’s hard eyes. “You’ll see that I’m not lying.”

The Doctor snatched the drive from his hand in a heartbeat, and the next moment, the small information device was crushed under the heel of Doctor Fitz. 

Coulson went rigid, wide eyes bordering on hysterical. “NO!” He shouted, then melted back into his chair. “No.” His voice came out in a whisper this time, broken and trembling with fear. 

The screen froze, and Simmons tore her gaze away from the video, eyes landing on Agent Johnson as her hand moved away from the control keyboard. 

A long exhale escaped from the SHIELD agent as she sifted through the new information, trying to determine what she should believe. 

Agent Johnson turned to Simmons. “Will you help us now?”

She closed her eyes in a long blink, her brain in turmoil over what to do. Curiosity burned inside her. She had to know.

Her loyalty to SHIELD protested this curiosity. She had to keep her duty to SHIELD.

But what about her duty to science? She sighed deeply. Her duty to knowledge--to the truth.

Maybe finding the truth was loyalty to SHIELD--after all, wasn’t that what SHIELD’s goal had been all along: to keep a grip on the truth, even when everyone else couldn't handle it. 

Simmons opened her eyes to the glowing screen where the frozen Director Coulson looked intently, desperately trying to get through to anyone who would listen. She would listen.

Her head turned to Agent Johnson. “Where’s the drive?” 

\---

“We can't show that to her.” Agent May immediately protested.

The younger Hydra guard pressed her lips tightly. “We have to! That's how we get her to go along--by showing her we trust her.”

“Daisy, there’s a line between ‘getting her to work with us’ and ‘letting her take advantage of us’, and we can't cross that line.” Agent May had her arms crossed tightly across her chest, showing that there was no way she was budging on this.

“It's just a chip--and it's broken! She can't do anything with it, not without the Doctor.” Agent Johnson persisted.

Three minutes later, the trio of Hydra agents led Doctor Simmons into the west wing of the building. The other guards looked at them with suspicion, but nobody stopped them. They turned into a small, white lab room. The pieces of the drive had been carefully laid out on a clean lab surface. Simmons went over to inspect them, fearing that the smashed chip had been damaged too much. Looking at it closely, she determined that it would take several hours of concentration, and the mind of an engineer, but the drive could be put fully back together. With a pair of tweezers, she picked up the piece containing the bent information chip and brought it closer to her face. This little device would give them the truth. 

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!?” The Doctor’s angry voice boomed through the room. “PUT THAT DOWN NOW!”

Simmons shut her eyes in anticipation of a strike, and slowly, carefully lowered the object down to the table.

“OUT!” He ordered, voice wavering with rage. “Get the hell out of my lab!” 

Simmons gritted her teeth against the pain that throbbed through her body, and took the chance to bolt through the door. 

In her mind, she pulled up the image of the building’s floorplans. This wing was close to an exit. If she could just…

Two guards blocked the hallway in front of her. She took them down with a few swift blows. Snatching a gun out of one’s belt, she moved on.

She turned the corner and three guards received gunshots to the knees. She flew past them while they were disabled. 

One more stretch.

The door to the outside was heavily guarded by seven agents. She had time to take two out with the gun. It took her half a second to whip up a strategy to take out the remaining five agents. She focused on her plan, trying to shut out the pain that lingered from her earlier fights. Finally, her exit was secured and she dashed out the door.


	6. Enr'acte/Wolf Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As she ran away from the Beast, a pack of wolves surrounded the girl in the forest. Just in time, the Beast jumped in to fight the wolves, saving Belle’s life, but injuring himself in the process. Belle helps the Beast back home, where she bandages him up. She realizes that the Beast does, after all, have a heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well after the emotional damage of Fitzsimmons being separated in that episode...and not seeing Fitz at all, I've been working on my self-care fic (Academy Fitzsimmons) and I will maybe possibly have a piece of that up this week if I can actually finish a single part haha. But anyway...here's this : )
> 
> Same warning as last time there's like one bad word.

Simmons’ breaths came in heavy pants as she crashed through the woods. Every part of her felt heavy, and there was no more ignoring the splitting pain that radiated from her ribcage with every step.

Blood ran down her cheek from a wound she hadn't realized was there. She hadn't felt her steps slow down, but it became clear that they had as her adrenaline wore off. Simmons had only run a few miles from the Hydra base, so she needed to keep going. Her body told her she needed to stop, but she convinced it that she could continue at a walk.

An hour later, her body was screaming in protest. Her mind was doing the same. The day she'd killed her parents replayed in the back of her mind, and she turned over the recording of Coulson’s interrogation in her mind, trying to decide what was truth. She would never know now--now that the Doctor had found her in his private lab, nosing around through his secret project.

Rustling brush ahead of her made her thoughts shut off. She stood rigid and alert at the noise, scanning the trees for any sign of life. A light breeze toyed with the leaves overhead. Had it just been her imagination? She’d been in high-stress situations for the past eight hours, without any water or sleep, so she determined that her mind was playing tricks on her. Taking a few limps forward, she quickly realized that her first assumption had been correct. A flash of black clothing vanished behind a tree. The gun she'd swiped from the guards was in her hands within a blink. For a moment, she considered calling out to ask who was there, but she quickly ruled that idea out. If these people were on her team, they wouldn't be hiding.

Out of thin air, what seemed like an army of Hydra soldiers stepped out of the cover of the trees, and began to attack. She was certain to be a dead woman as at least twelve agents advanced toward her.

But she wasn't dead. 

A man whipped through the bushes, gun blazing as he swept to her side. Several Hydra agents hit the ground. 

Simmons couldn't believe her eyes. She was frozen in shock, almost oblivious to the fight surrounding them as the Doctor stood at her side, defending her.

The scene moved in slow motion as he looked her way, making sure she was safe amidst the rain of gunfire. She caught his eye. There was something in those icy blue eyes that she hadn't seen before. He was protecting her--the woman he'd just tortured for hours. It blew her mind. She watched him take down the agents that were supposed to be on his side. Maybe he did have a heart after all.

Everything sped up again as she watched the Doctor fall to the ground, holding his stomach. Simmons snapped into action, shooting the remaining agents with her gun, then rushing to Doctor Fitz’s side. Thick blood gushed from underneath his hand. The man grimaced in pain and his body convulsed, losing too much blood too fast. 

“No, no, no, no.” She begged him not to bleed out right there--right then. Her hand slipped to his throat, checking for a pulse. She felt it drum against her fingers. Putting her palm over his own hand in order to keep pressure on the wound, she ripped off his shirt to expose where the bullet had hit, and placed the torn fabric under his hand. His dazed eyes fluttered while he gasped for breath. The fact that he was still breathing was a good sign, but she suspected the bullet had punctured his lung.

“That's right, stay with me.” She encouraged him to fight. There wasn't anything more she could do without supplies and a facility. She had to get him to safety. Which meant what? She couldn't carry him back to the base; she'd barely dragged herself out here. 

The loud rumble of a vehicle neared them, crashing through trees and underbrush. 

Simmons grabbed the gun that Doctor Fitz had been using, and raised it to where the noise had come from. 

The vehicle stopped getting closer, and she heard footsteps nearing. A trio of Hydra agents came into view. 

“Don't shoot!” Agent Hunter threw his hands up. Simmons lowered the gun. She hoped that her assumptions were right about the intentions of the Doctor’s closest agents, and began to bark orders. 

“Get him into that car, and--” Her voice was sharp and authoritative as she watched them pick up the man who had just saved her life. “Carefully!” She demanded when Doctor Fitz groaned in pain because they jostled him too hard. Agent May looked down at the Doctor apologetically. 

“I need him at the base as fast as possible. I can fix him up there.” Simmons stood up with the help of Agent Johnson. Despite her weak state, she was issuing orders as if she was the one in charge--not the prisoner--and thankfully, they were listening without argument. 

When they got to the SUV, the Doctor had already been laid out in the second row of seats. Simmons climbed into the middle floorboard where she could keep tabs on him through the quick drive. 

The car raced forward with a hard jerk, flying over the uneven terrain. Doctor Fitz, who seemed mostly unaware of the situation, moaned, clenching his teeth as the vehicle hit a hard bump.

“Not so roughly!” Simmons shouted up to Agent May, who was driving. She moved her hand to his abdomen, keeping firm pressure on the now sticky and soaked fabric.

“What do you suggest? We're driving through woods here!” The Hydra agent snapped back.

Simmons kept her mouth shut from there, and focused on keeping Doctor Fitz alive.

What felt like an eternity later, they pulled to a stop at the entrance of the building. 

Agent Hunter darted inside to grab a stretcher, while May and Johnson began carefully lifting the Doctor from the vehicle. 

They loaded him onto the stretcher and got him inside. Simmons was barking orders at the swarm of nurses who greeted them, and had seemingly forgotten about her own wounds. “I need five units of blood!” She hollered, and made an incision in his chest where she pushed a tube through to remove air pressure and keep his lung from collapsing. 

He was speedily hooked up to a cardiac monitor, and an IV of blood flowed into his elbow fold. Simmons hovered over him, giving appropriate doses of certain drugs as they raced to the medical wing. The crew went directly into surgery, removing the bullet from where it was lodged in his lower lung, staunching the wound, and sewing up the damaged organs. Luckily--though Simmons wouldn’t could call anyone in critical condition lucky--none of the major organs had been directly penetrated by the path of the bullet, nor had the aorta or major arteries been ruptured. Several tests were done, including a peritoneal lavage, which confirmed that no fragments of the bullet had entered his abdominal cavity.

Two and a half long hours later, Doctor Simmons removed her gloves and surgical coverings, and collapsed into the nearest chair. The steady beep of the cardiac monitor assured her that Doctor Fitz was stable now as she let her eyes fall shut, lulled to sleep by the hum of the machines. 

She awoke to a cold sensation on her forehead, and jerked back into the world. 

“So sorry, doctor,” A startled nurse apologized, stepping back from her.

“Bloody hell.” Simmons breathed. She’d barely been asleep for a minute, and to be disturbed so suddenly after all she’d been through in the past day was almost asking for a black eye. She was glad she had been tired enough not to react so instinctively.

“Your head looked like it needed medical attention, and you’d been so busy with Doctor Fitz that I just thought…” the nurse trailed off. It was obvious she’d meant well, but Simmons was too tired to truly appreciate her help.

“I can take care of myself, I assure you.” She took the alcohol wipe from the girl’s hand, and began dabbing along her own forehead. The nurse nodded stiffly and turned out of the room. 

Simmons felt her hand fall back into her lap. She turned her head to the side, somehow feeling comforted by the presence of the Doctor. Or maybe just the presence of his steady pulse. His chest was wrapped with white bandages, and she watched it slowly rise and fall. She just as easily could have checked the machine to confirm that he was still breathing, but she didn’t. Ever since he’d jumped out of the forest to protect her, she’d felt something different--like there was another man underneath all of the Doctor’s charades. A man who was finally finding his way out. This thought made her believe that this world might not be real. Maybe this man truly did have another life somewhere else--somewhere where he was a better man--a good man, even.


	7. Something There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Beast and Belle have dinner together, but the perfect night ends when Belle finds out that her father is in trouble. Finally learning that loving means letting go, the Beast allows Belle to leave the castle in order to go save her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! I'm home for winter break, so I'll hopefully finish at least one academy drabble and post it this week. I have a lot of them started, but none of them are finished because focusing on one thing is hard. Anyhow, here's this chapter. Sorry for any confusing sentences. It's pretty obvious I'm not a professional writer or anything.

Doctor Fitz dragged himself away from the pleasure of sleep and into the waking world where every part of him throbbed with pain, and an endless thread of questions ran through his mind. As the fog lifted, he blinked into the bright light that glared into his face. The repetitive beeping of the cardiac machine at his bedside made him fully aware of the needles and wires attached to his arm. He carefully slid the IV needle from under his skin, and untaped the clip of the pulse oximeter, freeing his finger. The machine’s dull rhythm became a monotonous screech when he dropped the clip onto the sheets. 

Doctor Simmons woke at the alert of the machine, her tired eyes wide with panic. She whipped her head in his direction, and, seeing him awake, took a deep breath. He wasn’t coding, he was just being a stubborn patient. She saw him trying to shift around on the bed. “You’re going to rip open your sutures!” She gasped at him, and rushed to his side in “doctor mode”, forcing him to lay back. He glared at her, but his eyes weren’t made of ice anymore. 

“I have to get to the lab.” He insisted, voice groggy from pain medication.

She taped the monitor back to his finger, and the machine’s wail faded back to his pulse. 

“No. You  _ want _ to be in the lab. You  _ have _ to stay in bed.” She argued, almost absently, as she pulled back the covers to check his bandaged chest. 

He continued to scowl. Simmons allowed a thought to break the surface of her mind.  _ According to Coulson, they did  _ need _ to get to the lab. _ She heaved a sigh, her mind changing without her authorization. “I will help you with the theory.” Her voice was almost inaudible. 

Doctor Fitz turned his face to her in total disbelief. “Say that again.” He requested dazedly.

Simmons stared back at him decidedly. “I’ll help you with the theory.” She repeated, louder and more confident this time.

Hope flickered in his eyes and he breathed a chuckle. She almost smiled back at him.

“But first, rest.” She placed the covers back over him. His face fell a bit. 

“Get yourself checked out while I'm stuck in here, will you.” She could see the apology in his eyes, yet the gesture caught her off guard. By the look on his face as the words left his mouth, Fitz had surprised himself as well. He knew he was partially responsible for her injuries, even if he hadn't personally physically harmed her, and he actually seemed to be sorry for it.

The man that Simmons left in that hospital bed when she walked out of the room was an entirely different man than “The Doctor” that she had been introduced to initially. What had inspired Doctor Fitz to change his heart, she did not know. What she did know was that he had thrown himself in front of her as a shield and taken her bullets. He had nearly died for her--and done so willingly. What made her the most curious was the fact that he didn't seem to know why he'd done that any more than she did.

\---

Several hours later, Simmons re-entered Doctor Fitz’s room. He turned his eyes to her as she entered silently. 

“Tell me you got some sleep.” She looked on him with pity as he frowned, suggesting that he hadn't. A glow peering out from under his covers caught her eye. She squinted.

“What's--?” 

“Nothing.” He snapped before she could finish.

But she was just as fast, and before he could stop her, she had snatched up the hidden tablet. Her pity vanished.

Scoffing, she looked back up at him from the screen. He’d been researching the theory. “You just have no patience, do you?” 

He shrugged. “Not when curiosity has a say in it.”

“We had a deal.” Simmons’ arms were crossed. Fitz lowered his gaze to his hands guiltily. 

His guilt was unnecessary, it seemed, as her lips hinted at a smile. “You're lucky my curiosity has had its say as well.” She set a thick binder down on the bed that he hadn't even realized she’d been carrying. Flipping it open to the first page, he realized it was stuffed full of notes on Coulson’s theory. 

“When did you do all this?” He asked, mouth slightly agape as he scanned the pages.

“I had a few hours while you were ‘resting’.” She replied simply, pressing a few buttons on the pulse monitor. The machine shut off, and she grabbed a wheelchair. Doctor Fitz was still poring over her research in awe. 

“You can read that on the way to the lab.” She directed as she flung back his covers. “Assuming your curiosity hasn't already been quenched.”

The binder snapped shut. “No, of course not!” He sounded mildly offended as he shook himself out of the trance that Simmons’ notes had put him under.

She helped him into the wheelchair, both doing their best not to disturb his stitches. Doctor Fitz let out a pained breath as he relaxed into his seat. 

“Why did you save me?” Simmons asked the question casually as she rolled Fitz down the hallway toward his private lab. 

Unable to come up with an explanation that made sense, he shrugged, brows scrunched as he pondered her question. “I've been trying to figure that out myself.”

Simmons pressed her lips together thoughtfully, and said no more on the topic. She didn't want to forgive this man, no matter how much he seemed to have changed. She wanted to hold a grudge against him. He was Hydra. He was a torturer, a brute, a murderer even. He had put her through the pain of her worst memory. But she  _ couldn't _ hold it against him. Now, she looked in his eyes and saw a different man. Something inside her was saying that she knew this man, that he wasn't dangerous, that he regretted his actions. So no matter how much she wanted it to resist, her mind had forgiven him. Against her will, she saw a new man when she looked at the Doctor. Something had changed, and she wasn't the only one who had noticed.

They turned into the small lab, and stopped at the table where the hard drive still lay in pieces.

“Can you fix it?” Simmons asked the Doctor as he flipped a piece over in his palm, examining it. 

His head bobbed slightly. “Certainly,” He said, “But, we’re going to need the equipment in the big lab.” 

Simmons lowered her brows in confusion.

A few minutes later, the duo rolled into the sprawling downstairs lab. Doctor Simmons took in the extensive and advanced equipment, looking almost awestruck. “This is quite an impressive facility.” She murmured, stepping in between the rows of impossibly pristine tables, laden with computers and gadgets, trailing her fingertips along the smooth surfaces.

Fitz’s face bore a smug grin, obviously proud to hear her praise after her notes had so thoroughly daunted him.

“Alright then, let's get to work.” He carefully set down the tray with fragments of the chip arranged on it before turning to Simmons. “Mi casa e su casa.” His pronunciation of the Spanish phrase was almost laughable, but the gesture was kind, and yet another step toward the teamwork they'd need if they were to determine the reality of the theory. Simmons chuckled uncertainty. Fitz spun back to face her, struggling for a moment with the wheelchair. His eyes pierced hers sincerely. “I mean it. This lab: yours.” The corner of his lip twitched up a bit.

Silence filled the room for a lengthy few seconds. 

“You have to stop that.” Simmons shook her head, frowning slightly. 

“I know…” The Doctor replied, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair, then grimaced at the pain it caused in his abdomen.

She crossed her arms. “First the bullet, now the lab…and you don't even--”

“--know why…?” He finished. 

She nodded, face full of surprise at his correct prediction of what she was about to say. His face displayed the same amount of shock. 

“Sorry.” He apologized, shaking his head again and rubbing his hand around the back of his neck. “I don't know why…” Confusion played on his features before he determinedly raised his eyebrows and turned his chair back to the desk. “We should get to work.” 

Simmons nodded sharply in agreement, turning to her notes and powering up a computer. “Of course.”

Doctor Fitz zipped around the lab, performing what seemed like every procedure possible in order to bring the chip back to life. Simmons mixed chemicals that would resuscitate the chip without damaging it. At first, the wheelchair was a pain, but by the time the drive was back together, Fitz had a handle on the whole wheels-in-the-lab situation. 

Simmons had been poring over more research since she’d done her part in fixing the chip, and Fitz half-expected her to fill another binder with notes. She scanned through news articles that didn't line up. Something was definitely off about this world...

“Done!” Doctor Fitz called from a corner of the lab, holding up the drive as if it were a prize he'd just won. Simmons hurriedly limped over to where he was, lips pressed into a smile. 

“Well...plug it in.” She insisted. He rolled to the nearest computer and the chip was clicked into place. Both let out a breath as the screen flashed with the drive's data. 

_ The Framework _ . That was the name this apparently virtual reality had been given. The idea that this wasn't the real world, well, it was difficult to accept. But with the amount of evidence Simmons had found on how events didn't fit together, and now the data on the drive...it was obvious what the truth was.

Clicking through the folders on the drive, and skimming each report briefly, they found an exit plan.

“A portal?” Simmons mused in disbelief as she watched the screen over Fitz’s shoulder.

He sighed, leaning back into his chair while the rest of the file loaded. “You can't tell me that sounds any more ridiculous than being trapped inside a virtual world.” 

She coughed a laugh. “I suppose you're right about that.” 

Both of them were drawn forward as the computer pulled up the rest of the file labeled “Exit Strategy”. 

“Who would even come up with the idea for this world?” Fitz muttered under his breath as he skimmed the page of intricate instructions.

“According to the second file on here: you.” She answered, pulling up the passage on a second screen. 

Fitz broke away from his reading, apparently having missed that part. “Wait, you're serious?” He asked, bewildered. 

“You and some guy named Holden Radcliffe; you ever heard of him?” Simmons turned away from her screen as well, looking him in the face. 

Fitz pressed his lips into a thin line. “Name doesn't ring a bell.”

“Hm.” Simmons’s reply faded into nothing as her eyes drifted back to Fitz’s screen to work out the details of the exit strategy.

The two scientists began setting up the programming, moving quickly thanks to the ordered list of steps that had been typed up in the file. While Doctor Fitz worked on the technology of the escape, Simmons pulled up a search for Coulson. She was set on finding him. He’d been the one to tell them this world wasn't real, including the fact that he himself was one of the people trapped here. Although his list hadn’t included Simmons herself, she’d been willing to find an exit if it meant saving the life of Director Coulson, who had been like a father to her ever since she’d joined SHIELD. She tried not to think about the fact that he hadn’t spoken her name in his list of names, meaning that she didn’t belong to a world outside of this apparently false one. Instead, she focused on how to get Coulson out.

“Doctor Fitz?” She said in a small voice as a result popped up on the screen. Fitz rolled over to her. 

He didn't even have time to ask “What?” before his eyes latched onto the screen and he saw what Simmons was so taken aback by. Coulson was in trouble. Their system had tracked him down, and he'd been found in the hands of Hydra--specifically Grant Ward. Fitz let out a heavy breath, trying to find a solution to this newly added situation.

“I have to go after him.” Simmons announced, turning to face Fitz. His face fell at her determination.

“I--I can assemble a team of agents...they can go after him…you can stay here and help...” He grasped for an answer that would let Simmons stay out of harm, not even knowing why he wanted to protect her so much.

Simmons shook her head, certain of the fact that she needed to find Coulson herself. “No,  _ I _ have to go after him. You know full well that you can finish this program without my expertise.” 

Fitz looked down to his lap, then lifted his gaze to Simmons’. Her deep, concerned eyes were resolute. She had made up her mind. In that moment, he was torn apart. This woman that he hardly knew--that he had initially felt nothing for--he felt more connected to her than to anyone he’d ever met. It was such a foreign concept--needing someone, but not knowing why--yet he yearned for more time with her. He longed to know if she felt the same way--if maybe there truly was a connection. But he was unwilling to ask, knowing her answer would be ‘no’. He had tortured her, imprisoned her, and nearly killed her friends. There was no way she felt the same. If he was certain about how he felt, he couldn’t keep her here against her will any longer--no matter how much he wanted to protect her. He had to let her go.

“Of--Of course.” He heard himself choke out the words. “You’re right. Go to him. Before it’s too late.”

She nodded softly, lips turning slightly upward at his conclusion. Somehow, it felt like a betrayal to leave Doctor Fitz, even though Simmons knew that was absurd to think that way. Just because he'd saved her life back there didn't change the fact that he'd been willing to hurt--or even kill--her before. Looking at him as a patient had almost erased the Doctor from her mind, but she needed to remind herself that he was the same man as before, no matter how much his act had changed. Her mind made it hard to see him as she had before.  _ Something _ has  _ changed, _ her heart whispered. There was a trace of regret in her voice as she bid him farewell and stepped out of the lab. She couldn't put her finger on the reason, but her heart panged as she hopped on a motorcycle to leave, feeling as if she was leaving a part of herself behind. It was ridiculous--almost frightening really. Had she fallen trap to Stockholms Syndrome? That's the answer she pinned to her feeling as she peeled out the gates, through the woods, and down the road that led to uncertainty.


	8. The Mob Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaston leads the townsfolk in a siege on the Beast’s castle. Belle and her father try to warn the Beast, but the attack is already underway when they arrive. Gaston and the Beast have a fight that ends with the Beast getting shot, just as the last petal falls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was no way I was going to post this chapter on Friday...because Friday is all about my boy Fitz obviously! Also, I apologize for the end of this chapter...especially if you haven't seen Beauty and the Beast. But...prepare to see Jemma Anne Simmons be straight up badass.

”Simmons,” Coulson whispered furiously as they hid themselves behind a ledge in the wall, “why did you come after me?” His eyes flickered between the woman beside him and their surroundings as he waited for an answer yet stayed on high alert. 

She didn’t meet his gaze, as she was distractedly searching the hall for Hydra soldiers. “I couldn’t let you miss your chance to go back to your real world.”

“No, why did you--” he was cut off.

She motioned him to move out, and they scurried down the hall, guns sweeping around in front of them, ready to play defense at any moment. They reached another wall and flattened themselves against it.

Simmons glanced at the Director, hinting that she was waiting for him to continue his comment.

“Why did you come into the Framework?” He asked, again in an urgent whisper.

Her eyes widened as she turned to him, lowering her guard for a moment. “You mean that I belong to the real world too?”

Coulson’s mouth fell into its signature, almost sympathetic, smile. Of course she didn’t remember coming after him. Simmons had entered the Framework. She wouldn’t have her memories. “Yes, Simmons, you do.” 

She let out a breath. She wasn’t just part of a program. She had a real mind, a real life…

“We need to get back to the base.” She breathed, suddenly more willing than ever to help Doctor Fitz.

Coulson nodded in agreement, surveying the hallway to see if it was clear. “We’ll be safe at SHIELD. Did you manage to get the drive when you escaped?”

“No,” She answered, and they ran down the last hallway, stopping at the outer door. “I meant the Hydra base that Doctor Fitz is at. We’ve been working on opening the portal.”

Coulson gaped at her for a moment. “‘We’ as in Fitz and Simmons ‘we’?” He looked slightly frightened, but also amused. Their love really did know no bounds. 

Simmons pressed her lips together. “Yes, sir.” Then, just as Coulson opened his mouth to reply, they heard voices coming from behind them. 

“...Doctor Fitz…” The voices were far-off and Simmons strained to hear what came next.

The Director nodded his head at the door, indicating he thought it best to leave now, but Simmons was determined to know what they were saying about the Doctor.

“...a risk now...all in danger...eliminate him…”

At this, she bolted for the door, limp barely noticeable as her urgency suppressed pain from any injuries. Coulson ran after her.

“Simmons!” He called as she dashed for the bike.

“Hop on and cover for me.” She instructed, revving the gas and speeding away almost before Coulson could sit down. Gunshots blazed behind them, and the Director did as he was told, spinning half-around to play Shotgun. Engines buzzed behind them, growing closer every second. Simmons floored the accelerator. They needed to warn Doctor Fitz. Get the portal open. Leave this world before it was too late. Before someone was killed.

The Hydra vehicles were still gaining, and engines rumbled close on their tail. There was no more “going faster”. Simmons made a last-second decision as they approached a ”T” intersection. She remembered from earlier that turning left led to a dead end. The motorcycle took a hard left, rubber burning on the pavement. She flung herself and Coulson off the road and into the woods. Both agents yelled out as the motorcycle tumbled over the terrain and they both flew from the vehicle. They somersaulted out of the dive just as a series of Hydra vehicles rammed into the trees behind them with loud crunches of metal. Coulson climbed back to his feet, looking at Simmons in awe. This Framework version of Simmons was some daredevil! He was fairly certain that the Jemma Simmons he knew would  _ never _ pull a stunt like that.  _ Did she even know how to drive a motorcycle? _

Taking out the Hydra agents now would be easy. Surely they were all stuck in the crashed automobiles. But as they approached the damage, it was made apparent that it was not so easy. Ward’s men latched onto Coulson and Simmons, pressing cold gun barrels to their dirty cheeks. 

Cuffs were clapped onto their wrists, and the two agents were tossed into the back of a van. 

“Just couldn't stay away from me, could you, Jemma?” Ward’s slick voice asked as he came into view. 

“You're not even real you rogue piece of code!” She spat, narrowing her eyes at him in part to look threatening and partially because her head was spinning so fast that she couldn't see clearly. 

Ward let out a ripping laugh and turned to his men. “They've  _ all _ gone crazy.” He earned a few chuckles from his crew, then announced that it was time to go show Doctor Leopold Fitz where his allegiance should lie. 

The metal door slammed shut, rocking the vehicle. When the motor didn't start along with the others, Coulson and Simmons knew they had been abandoned here. Simmons began strategizing.

_ Deep breath in...two...three...deep breath out...two...pop.  _

Her teeth clenched together and she let out a low hiss as she forced her metacarpal to dislocate from her trapezium. The metal of the handcuff scraped along her sore thumb as she wiggled her hand free. Once it was out, she brought her still-cuffed hand up and repositioned her bone again, sending it back to where it belonged with another sharp pop. 

Grabbing a pin from the inside of her boot, she used it to unlock Coulson’s cuffs. His had been locked tightly around his wrists and there were hot red imprints where they had been digging into his skin. No way to slip out of those, even if he  _ had _ dislocated his thumb. 

Coulson busted open the back doors of the van, seeing as there was a metal wall separating the cabin from them. Simmons hopped out and proceeded to smash in the glass window with a branch. Climbing into the driver's seat, she tore off the cover of the steering column and located the wiring harness connector. Flashbacks to watching MacGyver hotwire cars on TV this very way made her lips turn up slightly while she stripped the coating from the wires. The right chords were connected in the next moment, and the engine started up. 

Coulson was seated in the passenger's seat, and Simmons sped the vehicle down the road, determined to get back to the portal--and eventually back home. Whatever “home” entailed.

She screeched to a halt outside the now-familiar concrete building, and Coulson led the way to the door. The route had already been busted down, and Simmons took the lead, sprinting for the lab. 

Inside the building, a battle ensued. 

They were able to drag May and Hunter away from the fighting while their own guns were emptied of bullets. Coulson did his best to explain breathlessly what the situation was, and the Hydra agents pretended to follow along. The brief, thought-provoking speech they’d witnessed him give while interrogated had not provided them with the deepest knowledge of the Framework.

Agent Johnson was near the downstairs lab, and as they grew closer, the gunfire faded away. Maybe Doctor Fitz was still safe. This thought was proven wrong as they entered the lab. A gunshot went off, echoing through the silent halls. Simmons lurched forward to Fitz's side as she watched blood pour from his chest for the second time in 24 hours. 

Ward’s smirk remained painted on his face even as the other four agents moved to disable him. 

Simmons’ attention was locked on Fitz. His face was already a ghostly white and sweat steamed his brow. 

“It's...loading.” He choked out, voice gurgling as blood flooded his mouth. Simmons risked a glance at the screen behind him, which indicated that the portal was 97% loaded. He could make it. She pressed her bare hand more firmly against his bullet wound, but blood trickled through her fingers and oozed around the sides of her hand. 

“Come on Fitz!” She urged, tears clouding her voice. She knew now why she had felt so heartbroken to leave him. Memories surged through her mind like a dam breaking. Tears swept down her face. “You can't--You can’t die on me. I--I won't let you.” His eyes were clouding over. She watched his face take on a soft, delirious smile. He remembered too. 

His voice came as a weak, cracking whisper and was barely decipherable through his thick accent. “I love you Jem…” he trailed off. 

Jemma’s face contorted with pain as Fitz went limp in her arms. She removed her sticky, blood-coated hand from his chest and buried her face in his shoulder. “No…” she sobbed, her entire body shaking.

A flash beneath her swallowed them up in an instant.


	9. Beauty and the Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miraculously as the last petal falls, the Beast transforms back into a human, healing from the fatal wound. Belle and the Beast have confessed their love for each other, and all live happily ever after. The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to plan what I'm going to write next. I've got a lot of half-finished fanfics and ideas, so I just need to find more motivation for one of them so I can wrap them up enough to share! Anyhow, here's the final chapter of this one! Hope you all enjoyed it! Comments about what you thought are cherished and appreciated! Thank you so much for reading!

Jemma jolted upright on the table, gasping for breath. 

“Fitz!” She cried, voice breaking as she tore the headset off. Her body no longer ached, but the throb in her heart was more than she could bear. 

Fitz. 

Gone. 

She relived the moment when his pulse had faded into nothing, tears spilling from her eyes. 

Swinging her feet off the table, she nearly collapsed as she dizzily found her balance. 

Coulson stirred awake beside her. She hardly heard him. Her head pounded with memories. 

Fitz was everything. He couldn't be gone. 

But...but he was. 

She couldn't comprehend it. Every fiber of her body fought against accepting such a fact. 

She had watched the life bleed out of her best friend, her true love, her other half. 

She had seen him die with her own two eyes.

But he couldn't be gone. He  _ couldn't  _ be. She wouldn’t allow it. 

She had gone in there to save him. He  _ had _ to be alive. 

“I have to find him.” She concluded aloud, voice throaty and foreign thanks to the tears that were choking her. 

A hand came down on her shoulder and she flinched, though the gesture was meant to be comforting.

“He's gone.” Coulson whispered gently. But words like those were never gentle. They stung her ears and her heart like shrapnel, piercing every part of her.

“No.” Her voice refused, almost tricking her into believing she was confident in this. Her legs began to buckle. “No.” She denied again, much weaker this time as tears trickled down her cheeks.

Coulson supported her weight as her legs gave way beneath her.

She shook her head furiously, breaths coming in heavy, pained gasps.  _ No. _

The voice of Agent Piper broke through her painfully silent world. 

“The other agents from your team have been located, sir.” She relayed the information matter-of-factly to Coulson. “I will list off the names of those confirmed:”

The room grew deafeningly silent.

“Agent Hunter.” 

A pause.

_ How many gunshots had gone off in the background? _

Please let there be more names...

“Agent Daisy.”

Coulson let out half a breath.

A long pause.

“Agent May.” 

Coulson let out the other half of the breath he was holding, and Jemma felt him relax slightly.

Jemma's ears burned from waiting.

Her heart even paused it's furious beating, waiting for any word on Fitz.

Her  _ mind _ knew that was the end of the list. 

Fitz was gone.

Her Fitz was dead. 

But her heart…

Her  _ heart _ told her to wait one more long second.

One more second that seemed to stretch on for years.

Piper glanced in her direction without a word.

Her eyes clouded over.

Then the confirmation came

“And Agent Fitz.” 

Jemma’s eyes filled with tears of relief. He was alive. She'd watched him die but he was  _ alive _ . 

The world rang with cheerful silence, and a breathy laugh escaped her lips. He was alive. She buried her face in her hands, a smile surfacing on her face. 

He was alive.

It would be a happy ending to this mission after all.

 


End file.
